The Road To Atlantis
by Valkyriee
Summary: As the title implies, Jessie finds an artifact that is actually part of a map to the lost city. But, adventure and surprises await the Quest clan when the zinja attack. Read to find out more.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Okay, sorry about the long wait but this story requires a bit more detail than the last one so it took me some time to sort out everything I wanted to include. Anyway, please enjoy.**

As warm, afternoon sun beamed down on a medium sized, white boat in the Mediterranean Sea, two people surfaced. "Jonny, I think I found something!" The girl called to her companion.

The young man brushed his blond hair out of his eyes and nodded, "Let's get on the boat and take a look."

The two swam for the Questor and, after pulling himself aboard, the boy turned and offered a hand to the red haired, young woman. "Thanks" She smiled and took his hand.

"Anytime, Jess." He grinned warmly as he handed her the towel that was waiting for her. Then Jonny turned and called out to his adopted brother, "Hadji, you still meditating?!"

"Actually, my friend, I was just telling Race where you and Jessie were at. He says that Dr. Quest's meeting is almost over."

"Good. I think I found something that might belong with the artifacts from the dig."

The boys looked at the flat, metal object Jessie held. It was a red color mixed with silver and held strange markings on it. "These look almost Greek." Hadji mumbled as he studied the piece.

Jonny tilted his head and shrugged. "Maybe dad will know what it says. For now, let's take some pictures of it and eat. I'm starved."

Hours passed as the three teens waited for Race and Dr. Quest to return. Finally, Jessie stood up and walked towards the radio. "I don't like this. They should've been here by now."

"Yeah." Jonny agreed as he looked out a nearby window. "Think something happened?"

As if in answer to that, the boat rocked as something rammed into it. Regaining his footing Jonny glanced to his friend and girlfriend to ensure they were unhurt before rushing outside. His eyes widened as he saw another boat and the ninja boarding their vessel from it.

"Guys, it's an attack!" He called to warn them as they joined him.

As two ninja came at him, Jonny used the martial arts skills he'd honed to throw one over his shoulder and kick his companion back. _We're outnumbered ….. who are these guys?_

Jonny turned at the sound of Jessie crying out just to have the girl thrown against him, knocking them both off their feet. An instant later, Hadji was there to cover them as they recovered from the blow. The three of them held their own against the droves of ninja that seemed endless for as long as they could. Until their leader, Jonny assumed, got tired and threw a gas bomb aboard. As their enemies donned gas masks, they tried to cover their mouths to no avail.

Jonny barely saw Jessie fall before his own vision began to blur. Just before he passed out he saw someone else engage their attackers. _Wha …..?_

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

The masked person glanced at the three teens who were unconscious on the deck. Turning to the companions with her, she ordered. "Help me get them out of here."

One took the blond boy and the other took the girl. As their leader went for the remaining teen, a shuriken sliced into her arm. She jumped back to dodge two more. As the enemy swarmed her, she took out a sword and began to hold her own against them.

"Enough of this." The leader said. "Surrender now, Mei. Or you'll cost the young sultan here his life."

The girl tisked at the threat before throwing her sword aside. "Anaya, let him go. You have the map piece. There's no need to hurt him."

The other laughed mockingly. "Let him go? Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? Besides, with him as leverage, I captured you."

Mei smirked behind her mask. "Don't bet on it." She replied as a flash bomb dropped from her sleeve, providing her with time to retreat.

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Anaya growled as her vision returned. "That sneaky bitch."

Her sister appeared then and put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, we got the map piece and a bargaining chip."

"Are you sure Dr. Quest will comply with our wishes now?"

Melana nodded and smiled confidently. "He considers dear Hadji here family. He'll do as we say to ensure his safety. Now, let's take the boats back and put Dr. Quest to work."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jonny groaned as he blinked his eyes open and his vision cleared. He was in an unfamiliar room with Jessie resting on another bed nearby. _What the ….? Were we captured? Wait, …. we aren't tied up …. Then what's happening? The last thing I remember is the attack …. Hadji?!_

As he searched the room for his brother, the door opened and a girl walked in. A girl he knew. The boy stood in a defensive pose as he waited for the second of Dr. Zin's daughters to appear.

She held her hands up. "Jonny, wait. I'm not who you think I am ….."

Jonny still didn't drop his guard as he launched an attack against her. The girl before him dodged the attack and pinned him to the floor. She knelt down on his chest gently so as not to injure him further and held a picture in front of his face. "Look."

The picture showed Dr. Zin as a young man and a woman. Zin held two little babies while the woman held one. Jonny stared at the photo as the meaning sank in. "You mean …."

"Yes," she sighed and stood then offered him a hand. "I am Mei. The third of Dr. Zin's daughters. Please, before you act rashly, hear me out."

Jonny hesitated before taking a seat. Mei sat in a chair before she spoke. "In my family I am what you would call the white sheep. My mother began to realize how insane my father really was. So she planned to escape from him. Unfortunately, I was the only child she managed to get away with.

"So, I was raised with my mother. Trained in sciences, languages and martial arts. Over the years my mother told me of my father and his …. ways. She'd say that we were the Yin to his Yan. The light to balance the darkness in our family."

Jonny stared at her as he listened to her tale. "Where is your mother? Is she the captain here?"

Mei looked away from him. "As opposing forces, fights were a common occurrence. In one of them, Melana …... she killed our mother. Then she and Anaya tried to kill me. I'm vaguely sure they thought I was dead. They left us both for dead. That was when these people we're with found me clinging to life."

Jonny's eyes widened as sympathy washed over him. "I'm so sorry …."

The girl shook her head. "It's in the past now. We must focus on the present. Your family is in danger. Our spies found out that Race and Dr. Quest were captured before they attacked your boat. And in the attack, despite my best efforts they took Hadji."

"You were the one I saw run in as I passed out." Jonny said as the memory came back to him.

She nodded. "We'd just arrived. Anaya threatened Hadji's life if I continued fighting them. I'm sorry. After setting off the flash bomb, I barely had time to escape myself."

"It's okay." The boy said as he noted the injuries she'd sustained and the large bandage wrapped around her upper arm. "You did everything you could. Any idea what it is they were after?"

Mei hesitated for a long moment before replying. "This will be hard to believe, but please bare with me. The artifact you had on your boat was a piece of an ancient map."

"A map? To what?"

"The city of Atlantis. Anaya and Melana are intending to have your father decipher the writing on the map so they can find Atlantis and pilfer any weapons and treasure it holds."

"How do you know all of this?" Jonny inquired as he tried to wrap his head around everything Mei was telling him.

"You know how these people saved me? Well, they belong to a temple that trains their members to defend the secret of Atlantis. To prevent anyone from using the weapons the ancient Atlanteans made. The metal on the map is a sample of something only Atlantis had. Orichalcum. It's a metal that is lighter and stronger than steel. And in the city itself rests far worse weapons and untold riches. We cannot let my sisters get to that place."

"Right. So, what's the plan?"

Mei looked at him and smiled. "Eat and rest first. You two must regain your strength. When we land, I will report to my leader. Then, we'll form a plan to rescue your family and stop mine."

 **That's it for chapter one. I hope you all liked it. And please, fill free to let me know what you think. Till next time :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Okay, so seems like I did good with this idea so, I'm gonna continue the story.**

As Jonny saw Jessie beginning to stir, he sighed in relief. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. Glad to see you're awake."

The girl sat up, looked around and frowned in confusion. "Jonny? What's going on? Where are we?"

"Well, it's kinda a complicated story, so there's some waffles and milk here if you wanna eat while I explain everything."

Jessie nodded and fixed herself a plate as the blond, young man began explaining everything she had missed. The girl finally shook her head as it all sank in. "Do you have any idea how difficult to believe all of this is?"

"Yeah. But, I'm not messing with you. It all happened and appears to be true."

"Are you sure we can trust this Mei girl? She is one of Dr. Zin's daughters, after all."

Jonny crossed his arms over his chest and took a moment before answering. "I think so. If she wanted to hurt us, she could've done so while we were sleeping."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. The door opened to show Mei. "Are you done eating? Oh, Jessie, I'm glad to see you are awake."

Jessie hesitated for a bit before nodding. "Thanks."

The girl gave a gentle smile and inclined her head. "So you two know, we'll be landing soon."

As Mei took their dishes and shut the door, Jessie shook her head. "It's so disconcerting."

Jonny laughed. "Yeah. Part of me wants to not trust her, but I don't know. She seems genuine in wanting to help us and stop her sisters."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

After landing and being shown to neighboring rooms, Jonny and Jessie were able to freshen up and borrow clothes from the temple. Jonny knocked on the door to the room Jessie was in. It was a few minutes before the girl opened the door.

"You hear anything yet?" She inquired.

"Not yet. From what I understood the head priest here is consulting with someone known as an oracle. Mei said she'd let us know how things turned out after the meeting."

Jessie leaned against the bed and crossed her arms. "Yeah. Speaking of Mei, I have a lot of questions for her. And not just concerning our family."

Her companion gave her a quizzical look. "Oh?"

"Jonny, come on, think about it. How'd these guys know where we were? And our names? It makes me uneasy."

A knock on the door stopped Jonny before he could respond. "Jonny? Jessie? Are you two in there?" Mei asked before opening the door.

"We are. Come on in."

Jessie watched as the door opened and their new friend entered. "Just in time. I have some questions I'd like answered."

Still in her ninja like attire, Mei sat on a nearby chair and folded her hands in her lap. "I'm at your disposal. Ask me anything you need to know."

"Our names and where we were diving. How'd you know?"

"We have spies in the government here as well as the law enforcement and museums. Once our spies heard that Dr. Quest and Race were abducted we looked for anyone connected with them who may be targeted next. After finding out about you, Jonny and Hadji being here, our spies at the harbor reported your location. From there, I was sent to let you know what had happened as well as warn you about the probability of you three being targeted next. We had planned to escort all three of you here but we arrived too late."

Jonny cleared his throat, "Now that that's out of the way, what happened in the meeting?"

Mei took a deep breath before she spoke. "Well, the Oracle and Head Priest have decided to bring the remaining two pieces of the map to Atlantis here in order to protect them. From there, we'll try to find out where your family is and mount a rescue operation."

"So where are these map pieces?"

"One is in the ruins of the city of Troy. Even after being defeated in the Trojan War, the resting chamber of that map piece remained hidden. The other is located in the Labyrinth in Knossos."

Jessie looked up as something occurred to her. "You said they took off with our boat, right?"

Mei nodded. "Yes, why?"

"We have tracking devices installed into all of our vehicles. If I can link up on a computer with the Quest Compound's database, I can track the Questor."

The other girl's eyes lit up. "We do have a computer here you can try. Would you mind staying here and trying to connect with your compound while I lead a group after the map pieces? We really don't have time to wait on retrieving them."

Jonny looked at Jessie, "I'll go along to help recover the map pieces. Jess, hardly needs my help on the technological end and I'll get anxious if I stay behind."

The red haired girl nodded her understanding. "Be careful."

"Always." He grinned before following Mei out of the room.

"You two seem very close." The girl noted as they walked.

"Yeah. We're still getting used to how much closer we've recently become."

Stopping briefly, she spoke to a temple worker, "The young lady in the guest room needs our computer. Can you show her to it, please?"

"Of course, Mei." She nodded.

They continued out of the temple where a sleek, black convertible waited for them. As Jonny admired the car, Mei fished the keys out of her pocket. "We'll be heading for the harbor and on to the ruins of Troy."

As the rode along, Jonny had to ask a few questions he found himself wondering. "If your people know where the map pieces were all this time, why didn't they collect them before now?"

"The elders felt it would be too tempting having the whole map there. That some might stray from what the teachings say in favor of possible financial gain."

"The elders? What like the priest and the oracle?"

"No. Our founders. Legends state that none survived Atlantis's sinking. That's not so. The founders of our temple were the survivors. That's how they knew what was in the city."

The boy stared at his companion. "Ya know, ever since we met, you've been telling me some pretty hard to believe things."

Mei laughed. "Yeah. I half expected you to call me a liar right off the bat."

Jonny grinned. "Nah. After seeing aliens, the Jersey Devil, and a few other things I'm not at liberty to discuss, I figure I can give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Jonny," Mei sighed as she stopped the car at their destination, "I need you to make me a promise."

"What kind of promise?"

"I need you to swear to me that the mission comes first while we're retrieving the map pieces. If I'm captured or injured, leave me behind and escape. Get the map back to the temple."

The young man stared at her. "Mei …."

She looked back at him somberly. "I mean it, Jonny. Under no circumstances are my sisters to reach their goal."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jessie thanked the temple maiden as she started the computer and set to logging into the Quest Compound's main database. Without wasting a moment, the girl logged in and brought up the data for the Questor's location. "Gotcha." She grinned before printing off the results of her search.

 **All right, that's all for this chapter. Please, let me know what you think. All reviews are welcomed. And till next time, laters :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **All right, here's chapter three. Enjoy, please.**

Hadji slowly became aware of being in a dark room with someone else. Sitting up he expected to see Jonny or perhaps Jessie and learning where they were. Instead he saw Race let out a relieved sigh as he sat up. "Race, where's Dr. Quest. Was he not with you?"

"I've been in here by myself until last night when a zinja carried you in." The man replied.

"So we are now captives of Dr. Zin?" Hadji looked around. "Wait. Where are Jonny and Jessie?"

"Anaya and Melana are here. I don't know about Zin though. And they said that Jonny and Jessie will be fine so long as we don't try anything." The former CIA agent crossed his arms in frustration.

"What do they want with us?"

"Not sure. The most I can do is guess that they need Benton for some reason and know he won't cooperate unless they use us."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jonny knocked on a cabin door. "Mei, we're almost there."

The door opened to reveal that Mei had changed clothes. Now she wore a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Her thick, black hair was neatly braided down her back. Noticing his stare, she explained, "I wanted to look less suspicious."

The boy nodded as his eyes took in a vicious scar across her throat. _Her sisters really ….._

As she realized what had Jonny's attention, Mei's hand went involuntarily to her neck. "I can wear a scarf or something to cover it."

He shook his head and looked down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

The girl shrugged. "By now, I'm kinda used to that reaction. Well, that and people who have known me stealing glances when they think I'm not looking or avoiding looking at my throat at all."

Jonny looked away from her as he could easily understand the discomfort being caught staring at that scar could cause. He was relieved to see the dock just ahead. "I guess we should get set to go."

Mei nodded as she followed him onto the deck. Each one shouldered a backpack of supplies before disembarking. Stepping onto the dock, Jonny looked around. _I wonder how far from Troy we are._

"Jonny," his companion spoke, "you okay?"

The young man nodded and gave her a friendly grin. _Just hoping Hadji, Race and Dad are okay …._ "Yeah. No worries."

Upon reaching the ruins of Troy, Jonny and Mei entered the ruins and slowly explored the sad remains of the city. Jonny glanced over at Mei, "So, what are we looking for?"

"The switch to the hidden chamber was located in the king's throne. It'll be a little difficult to locate in the ruins. There should be something that has an Atlantean symbol instead of a Greek one on it."

"I guess we should hurry. We don't want your sisters to get here."

The girl looked away. "Yeah ….. which brings to mind another mystery that's been bothering me." As Jonny met her gaze, Mei spoke, "How did my sisters know about the map to begin with. It's supposed to be a secret. It implies …..."

The boy's eyes widened as he realized the direction of her thoughts. "A spy …."

"Worse. A traitor. I'm the only outsider, other than you and Jessie, to be allowed into the temple in hundreds of years."

Jonny frowned. "How do we find out who it is?"

Shrugging, Mei continued her search. "We need to focus on finding the map piece right now. After we have them, we can look into that. I just wanted to mention my suspicions so we can both be on our guard in the temple."

The young man nodded as he noticed something. "Hey, this looks similar to the writing on that map piece we found."

Coming over, Mei eyed the stone relief that Jonny had spotted. The girl knelt down and turned the stone relief. "Okay, the symbol's right side up. Now …." She pressed on the stone.

A chamber opened at the foot of what would have been the throne. As the sand trickled into the room, stairs were revealed. The two companions carefully descended into the room. "Wow. I can't believe this stayed hidden." Jonny noted as they reached the bottom.

Mei dug through her backpack and took out a flashlight before responding, "The scientists were too busy trying to prove that this location really was the remains of Troy."

"So, think there're any traps in here?"

The girl nodded. "Most likely. Atlantis was never to be uncovered. The survivors of the city felt it was best that way."

They studied the writing on the walls before spotting the map piece on a pedestal in the center of the chamber. Reading the writing, Mei frowned. _It doesn't say how to remove the piece without activating the traps. In fact, it doesn't mention the traps at all …._

Jonny watched her curiously. "So, what'd you find out?"

"The writing tells the story of Atlantis and gives a warning to seekers of the city. That their avarice will destroy them."

"Okay, so is it safe to take the map piece?"

"Unfortunately," she tisked, "we won't know until we try it. Jonny, stand close to the stairs. If anything happens, I'm gonna trust you to get help or take the map and continue our mission."

Jonny stared at her and hesitated before complying. "I won't leave you behind, Mei."

"We don't have time to argue." Mei replied as she took the map piece from its resting place.

Before either one could react the entrance closed. Jonny searched the roof quickly for a way to reopen it. "Hey, this symbol was on the throne."

"Try turning it like I did." Mei instructed as she said a quick prayer.

To both of their relief, it worked and the roof opened to allow them out. Sighing in relief, the two of them walked upstairs. "I kinda expected that to be more difficult." Jonny noted.

"I suppose back before the Trojan War it was. They had the Trojan Wall as well as trained soldiers back in those days."

As the teens reached the top of the stairs, Mei's smile faded. There awaiting them stood three zinja. Glancing at Jonny, she sighed. "I suppose this was to be expected."

"Yeah. So, what's the plan?" The boy replied as he took on a defensive stance.

"Try to take out one or two and run for it." As she replied, Mei took a tazer out of her backpack.

"Come prepared, don't ya?" Jonny grinned.

"I believe in being ready for anything. And carrying my sword would've made me stand out way too much."

As the zinja attacked them, Jonny took the lead, throwing one off balance and into the electric current of Mei's taser. The robot was still for a moment before it resumed attacking. "Looks like we'll only have a second for our escape."

"Right. Get to the car, then." The young woman replied as she tazed two of the zinja.

As Jonny reached the car they'd used, Mei threw him the key. "Start the car!"

The boy obeyed and was grateful for the lack of a roof when Mei stunned and kicked the third zinja to the ground and jumped into the passenger seat. The blond boy floored the gas and the sped away. Mei kept looking back, expecting their enemies to be pursuing them soon.

Looking over, Jonny spoke. "They had motorcycles the last time I crossed paths with them."

"I don't see anyone following us. But, that felt too easy."

Stopping the car outside of the port town where the boat waited for them, the young man nodded. "Think they have a trap waiting for us?"

"Probably. I can't imagine any other reason, those zinja would let us escape that easily. That just begs the question of what to do …."

"We can try to reach Knossos on our own. Or we could let them capture one of us with a tracking device on."

Mei shook her head, "Too risky. The device could be discovered."

"Do you think they'd recognize the boat we came here on? Will the crew be okay if we leave from here?"

"No matter what, we have to put our mission first. We can contact Jessie at the temple later to ask for news."

"Jessie? Why not just contact the crew?"

"If my sisters are spying on us, for all we know, the spy could be on board the ship. Or, for that matter, there could be more than one spy. I want to be certain we can trust the person we contact." Mei replied as Jonny turned the car to drive on past the town.

"Okay, so what now? We can't reach Knossos by car."

Mei was quiet as she considered that. _It's true. We're in Turkey with no way to know who in the temple to trust and only this car to get around. We certainly can't swim to Crete ….._ Finally, the girl responded, "For the time being, let's just find a place to rest. We'll find an inn or something. I've got some cash on me."

 **Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the story so far. Feel free to review and tune in to chapter four to see if there's really a traitor in the temple and who will get that last map piece.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Nothing much to say right now, so on with the story.**

Melana walked back to the lab room of their hideout with her sister. "So, do you think Dr. Quest has deciphered anything new?"

Anaya shrugged. "Maybe. He's under the impression that we have his entire family captive as it is so he's unlikely to still resist." _Of course, we would have our leverage if it wasn't for her …._

The sisters opened the door to find their unwilling guest still sitting calmly in a chair behind a single, large desk. Melana entered the room first and stood before the desk. "Have you considered our offer, Dr. Quest?"

The man let out an irate sigh, "As if I have a choice. Regardless, this is a dead language you're asking me about. I'm going to need time to translate it."

Anaya frowned. "Just remember, the lives of your family members depend on how honest you are about your findings, doctor."

Dr. Quest didn't reply as they left and he continued studying the two ancient pieces he'd been presented with. The quality of the artifacts was astounding considering its age. And as he made notes on a language that seemed similar to Greek, the metal gleamed it's silvery red color.

 _If the circumstances were different this would be incredibly exciting. As it stands ….. I just hope that they're all unharmed._

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jonny frowned as he paced the hotel room he and Mei were hiding in. _This is crazy._ _I'm i_ _n a hotel room with a girl I just met trying to figure out some way to keep her two crazy sisters from getting to Atlantis. Not to mention the possibility of a spy being in that temple Jessie's at …._

As Mei entered, the boy stopped pacing and looked at her. "Well?"

"I got in touch with the Head Priest. I told him we're hiding to avoid leading the enemy back to the ship. I think he believed me. So, for now, we're okay."

"All right. Let's try and think this through. Who was present when you were told the locations of the map pieces?"

"The Head Priest, the Oracle, a body guard and myself ….." The young woman sighed. "We'll just have to go get Jessie out of there. The temple itself has many hidden tunnels for emergencies."

"But what about everyone else there?"

Mei shook her head. "As long as one of them is a possible traitor and spy, there is nothing we can do. Jessie's safety and our mission are to take top priority right now."

"But Mei, they raised you. We can't just abandon them." Jonny insisted.

"There's nothing to be done for it. No matter what I may want to do, I took an oath to put the safety of Atlantis first. Above everything. Personal feelings cannot be allowed to sway me any further. Now, we need someone with a boat or plane to get us around. A car won't be much use right now."

Letting the argument drop, Jonny thought for a moment. "I think I know someone we can ask."

"Is the person trustworthy?"

"For Hadji, he will be."

Mei nodded. "Okay, I'll leave that to you then." The girl then went out onto the room's balcony. _I wish I could do this the way he wants to._ _I owe those people everything and part of me feels like putting the mission first is a betrayal ….._

"Mei?" Jonny waited in the doorway for her to look up. "Our ride will be here first thing in the morning."

She nodded. "Okay, I guess we need to form a plan then."

"A plan?"

Mei ran her hand through her hair, "Yeah. I was thinking that'd it'd be too dangerous for us both to go into the temple for Jessie. My sisters could have a trap waiting for us. So I was thinking that'd I'd go in while you stay hidden nearby."

Jonny nodded his understanding. "I guess you do know those hidden passageways better."

Early the next morning, Jonny and Mei waited in the lobby of the hotel. "He said to meet him here, right?"

"Yeah. No worries. Pasha will be here soon, I'm sure."

As predicted, the merchant turned court adviser ambled in moments later. Spotting Jonny, he smiled and approached. The man stopped short and frowned in bewilderment, however when his gaze rested on Mei.

Before he could ask, Jonny spoke. "I'll explain on the way, Pasha. We're kinda in a hurry."

As he drove them and listened, Pasha shook his head. "You all always did get into the most hard to believe situations. So, where are we going first?"

"Well," the young man replied, "we need to get Jessie back with us. Did you bring a plane or a boat?"

"A boat. I figured, it might be safer than flying."

Following Mei's directions, the boat arrived at the temple around sunset. The two teens disembarked quietly. Pasha watched them and said a silent prayer for their safety. Leading the way along the coastline, Mei led Jonny to a cave.

Turning, she whispered, "The safest tunnel in the temple comes out here. Wait here and I'll go bring Jessie out."

Jonny grabbed her arm and handed her a walkie talkie. "I come prepared, too." He grinned.

Chuckling, the girl nodded. "Thanks. I'll be back as soon as I can."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jessie peeked out her window again and sighed. _I wish I knew something. Jonny ….. please be safe._

Hearing a noise coming from behind her, Jessie spun around. Mei peeked out of the tunnel that now stood where a bookshelf had been. "Jessie, are you alone?"

The girl rushed over. "Mei? What's going on?"

"No time. Follow me, quickly." Sensing the urgency, Jessie hastily obeyed and rushed to follow her. "There's a traitor in the temple. We had to get you out as quickly as possible."

The other girl gasped as that news sank in. "Shouldn't we warn the Head Priest."

"No. We can't, Jessie. We have to get out of here before anyone realizes you're gone."

Knowing the girl had a point, Jessie followed Mei along the winding tunnel until she spotted Jonny awaiting them. The boy smiled at her as their eyes met. "Glad to see you're okay, Jess."

"You too. Did you guys get the map pieces?"

Mei replied first, "We got one. Then, we came back for you before my sisters could use their spy inside to do you any harm."

Jessie sat with Jonny as that sank in. "So we still have one more map piece to get to. Can you guys fill me in on what all happened in Turkey?"

"We hid in a hotel for a night and called Pasha to help us with travel since we weren't sure who in the temple is trustworthy."

Jonny leaned back and sighed. "And now we're trying to plan around what Anaya and Melana might be planning and finding their hideout."

"Oh," Jessie said, "that reminds me. I did manage to locate the Questor. It appears to be docked in Athens."

"Given that, I think we should continue on to Crete and then go to Athens. We can see if my sisters are there."

"Okay, in that case, I guess we need to be getting back to the boat before anyone discovers that Jessie's missing."

The three of them crept quickly along the cost until they reached Pasha's boat. Sitting on the deck, Jonny stargazed and tried not to think about what could be happening to his family. Carrying a bowl of soup and a glass of milk, Jessie sat beside him.

"Eat." She instructed. "Worrying won't help anything."

"Thanks, Jess." The boy replied as he obeyed.

As they sat, the boy sighed and wrapped his arm around Jessie. "I'm glad we got you out safely."

The young woman smiled. "It's not like I had the slightest idea about there being a traitor in the temple, anyway. Whoever it was had no reason to harm me."

Jonny shrugged, "I was still kinda worried. Anyway, I think I'm gonna get some sleep. We still have a labyrinth to get through tomorrow."

 **Tune in next time to see what happens in Knossos. And feel free to review. All comments**

 **are welcomed and appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Jonny," the young man woke to Jessie knocking on the door to his cabin, "we've arrived in Crete. Hurry and get ready to go after the last map piece."

"Will do, Jess." The youth scratched his head as he stood up and changed into his usual clothes. A few minutes later Jonny joined Jessie and Mei on the deck and looked out at the island of Crete. "So, what's the plan for this?"

Glancing at him, Mei replied. "Well, I know I have to go in since neither of you can read Atlantean. However, I'm not sure it's wise for all three of us to go. We don't know what sort of traps may be waiting for us."

"A good point." Jonny glanced at Jessie, "Jess, ….."

"Dibs." The girl said before he could get the words out.

"What?" The boy asked.

"I called dibs so you're staying behind this time." She grinned at him.

Mei watched the couple with growing amusement as she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter. As Jonny sulked, Jessie disembarked with her and the two girls made their way into Crete. Mei led them to a place that rented out cars and got them a ride before they made one more stop to get any supplies either girl could think of.

Jessie picked up two bundles of rope and spoke when she saw a quizzical expression on her companion's face. "I figured it might come in handy."

After the sports shop, the girls entered a store that sent a chill down Jessie's spine. Down an alley, a casual tourist wouldn't know it was even there. Entering, Mei approached the counter and spoke in Greek to the towering, bulky man behind the counter. He had black hair that was cropped short and a black goatee with an eye patch over one eye.

He gave Mei a gruff answer before going into a back part of the shop. Reentering the room, the man placed two swords, several throwing knives, four guns, and some ammo on the counter. Mei paid him and began sorting through the equipment.

Jessie stared, "Ummm, is this just a little excessive?"

"Not with my sisters on our asses." As she thought, Mei spoke to the man again.

He nodded and reached behind the counter, then straightened and set a bag of flash bombs on the counter. Mei handed him the payment for those before finishing packing their weapons. Watching her a thought occurred to Jessie, _I wonder if she'd really kill Anaya and Melana …._

Mei drove them to Knossos after they ate a light breakfast. The two of them stared at the castle as Mei parked. "So," Jessie eyed the ruins of the castle, "where do we start?"

"Well, back in ancient times, the Labyrinth was supposed to be under the castle. There must be a way to enter somewhere in these ruins." The older girl answered as she got out of the car and studied the place before them.

Jessie followed behind her. "We're not gonna get in trouble for being here, are we?"

"The temple has connections here in Crete. I told the shopkeeper we got our weapons from our mission so we shouldn't be disturbed. Our allies in the law enforcement around here will see to that."

"Just how many agencies has your temple infiltrated?"

"We have museum staff and curators, lawyers, police, government officials and archaeologists who were all raised by the temple and educated to be among the best in their particular fields."

"I see. And the weapons dealers?"

Mei grinned. "Yeah. We have people set in cities ready to tend our needs in that too. As well as hospital staff."

The girls became quiet as they searched for a way to get under the ruins. Hours of searching had left both of them discouraged until Jessie discovered a hole in the floor. It was small and pitch black, but after some digging and using a pickaxe, the hole was made big enough for them to descend into.

Mei looked down the hole and back at Jessie. "Stay here. I'll radio you if anything happens. It'll be safer that way since we don't know what's down there."

The red haired girl grudgingly agreed. _She's right but I hate letting her go alone._ "Be careful."

She nodded and tied a rope onto part of the ruins that looked sturdy. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I was trained for this, after all."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jonny frowned as he made his way through Crete and into the nearby woods. _Of all times for Knossos to be closed off to the public. I wonder if Mei and Jessie got through. Heh, they'll probably be mad that I followed after them._

The young man sighed as he made his way through on a rented ATV. It still wasn't as fast as the road would have been, but it beat going on foot. After some time, the young man reached Knossos and began to search for the castle Jessie and Mei had gone to.

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Mei dug in her pack for a flashlight as she reached the bottom of the hole. Then she radioed Jessie. "Okay, I'm in. I'm gonna have a look around for the labyrinth."

"Right. Everything's quiet up here."

The girl looked around and sighed. The cave she was in gave no clues to where she'd find her destination. Following the only tunnel she found brought Mei to a small stream that flowed pretty steadily. Kneeling down, she splashed her face and looked at the two paths she could take. _One way probably leads out of here. But the question is which way?_

Studying the stream, the girl decided to follow the way it flowed. It grew darker, which hinted that she had chosen correctly. Mei walked along carefully until she reached a large set of stone doors. _Finally. Okay this has to be the entrance._

"Jessie? Can you hear me?" She spoke into the radio. No response came. _I must be too far from her. All right. From here, I'm on my own then._

Entering the maze, Mei was surprised at the condition of the place. There was very little decay. However, with her flashlight being the only source of light, the girl had to proceed slowly. She was careful to leave markers of where she'd been using one of the five cans of spray paint she'd bought.

 _It's probably somewhere in the heart of the labyrinth._ Mei frowned as she looked about for any clues to guide her.

It took a while but, eventually, the young woman reached her goal. After a brief rest, she began to look around the chamber. Upon finding an Atlantean crest, she turned it slightly to the right then pressed it in. The action opened a hidden room.

Mei examined the room carefully. _Okay, what's the rub? There must be more to it than this._

Reading the walls, she found a similar tale and warning. There was one difference, however. An extra warning. _Beware the guardian of the map._

"Guardian?" Mei repeated aloud. She listened for any signs of life, but found the labyrinth to be deathly silent.

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, the young woman took the piece from its resting place. The entire room shook as an inhuman roar sounded. _What the …..?_

Her question was answered by a pair of glowing eyes. Then it charged at her. The girl jumped out of the way just in time.

"A minotaur?" Shaking off the disbelief she felt, Mei ran from the room and the beast inside it.

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Upon reaching the ruins of the castle, Jonny approached Jessie. "Where's Mei?"

His girlfriend jumped in surprise. "You came after us?"

The young man looked down sheepishly. "I … was worried."

Jessie couldn't help smiling. Her Jonny was almost impossible to stay mad at. "All right, hot shot, you're off the hook."

He offered her a charming, lopsided grin. "So, where'd Mei go?"

"Down the hole over here. We …. lost contact a while ago. I'm starting to get a little worried. Think you can go look for her?"

"Sure."

"Okay." Jessie handed over her backpack, "Take this with you in case."

Jonny nodded. "Thanks. Why don't you go hide in those woods? In case anyone unexpected shows up."

"All right." Jessie stood and stretched. "You be careful."

Kissing her cheek, he smiled. "You got it. Be safe till we get back."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Mei cursed as she leaned against the nearest wall panting and clutching her side. The minotaur had managed to get her in the right side and leave a large gash on her left thigh before she used a flash bomb to escape. Taking out a roll of bandages from her pack, she managed to do a temporary dressing to the wounds.

The girl looked around frantically for one of her markings to show her the way. _I'll use a flash bomb if it finds me again._

She began walking or, rather, limping. "Ow …." Mei whimpered as pain shot up and down her leg. Hearing another roar, she quickened her pace as much as she could.

As Mei leaned against another wall to catch her breath, she heard something. Only this wasn't hoof beats or roaring. It was faint at first.

"Mei!? Mei, where are you?!"

Following the familiar voice, the girl found a glow coming from a flashlight. Relief and disbelief consumed her. Then came panic. "Jonny? We have to get out of here. Now."

"Wait. What's going on?" The boy asked in bewilderment.

"N, no time. We have to go. Before it finds us."

"Before what finds us?" He inquired.

A booming roar answered the question. Mei looked behind her before rushing towards Jonny. "Move. It's dangerous here."

The young man didn't question her further. He grabbed her hand and led the way back to the exit. As the companions got out, Jonny quickly closed the stone doors.

Turning, he saw Mei sitting on the ground with a hand pressed tightly to her right side. "W, we have to keep moving."

Jonny stared at her. "Are you hurt, Mei?"

"No time. It'll get out soon and be after us."

"I don't understand. What was that thing in there?"

Looking up at him, she replied. "A minotaur."

"What? Like in the myth?"

"Jonny, there's no time. Take the map piece from my pack and go. Get back to Jessie."

The youth knelt down in front of Mei. "Okay, let's go."

"What? No. I'll just slow you down."

"Mei," Jonny looked at her over his shoulder, "get on or I'll carry you in my arms instead. I'm not leaving you here."

The girl sighed in frustration before she obeyed. The young man stood and began walking. "So, wanna tell me what happened?"

"The minotaur got my right side with his horns and slashed my left thigh with a sword. I used a flash bomb to escape. Its eyes are extremely sensitive to light."

Jonny felt Mei clench her fists against his shoulder and heard her hiss in pain. "Sorry. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Keep going."

Jonny tried his best to move carefully. Instead of climbing the rope, he followed the river to the mouth of a cave. The boy set Mei gently down and knelt in front of her.

"Let me see."

She moved her hand and raised the shirt up over her stomach. The bandage covering the wound was soaked in blood. Carefully, Jonny removed the bandage to examine the injury. Walking over to the river, Jonny removed his own shirt and tore it into pieces, one of which he dipped into the water.

"All right. Let's clean that first, then I'll do a patch job till we get to a hospital."

Mei looked down and blushed. "Thanks."

Jonny grinned at her. "No problem." When he finished dressing the wound on her side, the young man went back to the river and dunked another cloth in. Coming back to her, he spoke. "Let's tend to the sword wound.

Using one of her knives, Mei cut her pants open around the gash. Jonny sucked his breath in sharply. "That thing got you good. Any further and it'd be down to your knee."

After removing the old bandages and cleaning the wound, Jonny put some clean dressings on her thigh. Then he stood and took a look around. Mei stared at him. _He's so stubborn. He needs to leave me behind …._

 **That's all for chapter 5. Hope everyone enjoyed and sorry for the delay. Been a little sick lately.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Okay, on to chapter 6. I'm sure you all don't want me babbling on too much.**

Jonny sighed and looked at Mei. "I'm not really sure how far from the ruins or Jessie we are. Let me try the radio. Hopefully she kept it on."

"Jessie? Jessie, can you hear me?"

After a tense moment he got a reply, much to their relief. "Jonny? Good to hear from you. I was getting worried."

"Yeah. We're all right. We got the map piece. Where are you?"

"I'm in the woods. Not far from the ruins. Why? Did something happen?"

"Mei's hurt. We need to get to a hospital." Jonny frowned as he looked around them. _Damn. It looks the same in every direction._ "Sit tight, Mei. I'm gonna climb that tree over there and see if I can spot the ruins."

The girl watched as he climbed high into the tree nearest them and looked around. _I hope this works._ "Any luck, Jonny?!"

The young man climbed back down before answering. "Yeah. I spotted the ruins. We're a little far away. It's gonna be kinda a long walk."

Mei nodded as she staggered to her feet. "We'd better start walking then."

"Are you sure you're okay to walk?" He inquired with a concerned expression.

"You already carried me through that cave all the way from the labyrinth. You'll exhaust yourself if you keep doing that."

"I'm fine." Jonny protested.

"So am I. Now let's get going. We don't have time to stand here arguing."

The young man frowned but let it go as he led the way towards the ruins of the castle. He had to slow his pace in order to keep an eye on his companion as she trailed behind him. Mei tried to keep any pain out of her expression as she gritted her teeth. _I can do this. Just try to ignore it._ She stopped and leaned against a boulder that was close to the trail they were on.

"You okay?" Jonny asked as he walked back to where Mei was resting.

The girl nodded without looking up. After taking a few minutes to regain her composure, she spoke. "Sorry. I just needed to catch my breath. I'm fine now.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jonny took her arm and put it over his shoulder. "Wh, what are you doing?!" Mei asked as he started walking.

"What does it look like? Since you're being stubborn about riding piggyback, I'm helping you walk. A sword sliced your leg open. I don't think walking on it is the best thing for you to be doing right now.

She started to protest until Jonny cut her off. "We have about a mile to walk. Now you're gonna let me help you or I'm just gonna carry you anyway. We're friends now. So like it or not, I'm gonna be here for you when you need me. And right now you do, no matter if you'll admit it or not."

Mei couldn't help smiling a little. "Jessie's pretty lucky to have you."

The boy blushed as they walked. "I'm just as lucky as she is."

As they continued walking, after about half a mile, Jonny began to notice the feeling of a liquid other than sweat running down his side. He glanced down and confirmed his suspicion. There was blood seeping through the bandages. Mei didn't seem to notice, she appeared completely focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

 _Dammit. We're almost there. And we really don't have anything to clean the wounds with now._ The boy stopped. "Sorry, Mei, but we can't put any more strain on you." Jonny picked her up in his arms and carefully continued along the path. This time the girl didn't protest at all.

Relief consumed Jonny as the ruins became visible. He looked around for Jessie before calling out. "Jess, you here?"

"Jonny? Finally, I was really starting to worry again. I thought maybe you'd been captured or something." Jessie said as she came over to them. Seeing Mei, she covered her mouth. "What on Earth happened to you guys down there?"

Setting her down as gently as he could, Jonny scratched his head. "Well, it's kinda hard to believe. A minotaur attacked Mei and injured her before I found her."

Jessie raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

The boy nodded. "I didn't see it myself, but there's no way those roars were human."

"How bad is it?"

"I'm no expert, but even I can tell she'll probably need stitches. She passed out not too long ago so time's an issue. How'd you two get here?"

"Our car's parked just outside of the castle, but I'm not sure if it's safe over that way or not. What about you?"

"I took an ATV up. I think it'd be better to use the car if we can. Have you heard anything inside the castle?"

"Yeah. A zinja showed up and was snooping around. He didn't find me and I'm not sure where he wandered off to."

"Damn. We really don't have time to deal with them."

"Let's find your ATV. If they didn't find it, that'll be our best bet. They probably expect us to return to the car once we finished in the labyrinth."

"Guess there's no choice." Jonny gathered Mei up and led the way back to where he'd left the vehicle. _I wonder if it'll carry all three of us …._

As they reached the spot he'd parked in, Jonny frowned. He knew, despite how much he wished otherwise, that all three of them wouldn't be able to ride back. "I wish I'd rented a car instead."

"No." Jessie replied. "If you had, you'd of had to park even farther away. You take Mei and get to a doctor. I can hike back to town."

"But, Jess …."

"Jonny, no buts. I can't carry her like you can. Mei needs you to go. I'll be fine."

The young man tisked, knowing his girlfriend was right. "Fine. Just be careful."

Jonny held Mei in front of him on the seat as he drove back towards town. The hospital was thankfully, not too difficult to find. Carrying Mei, he rushed into the E.R. "Someone help me. My friend is hurt."

Nurses and orderlies rushed to his aid and brought a gurney for him to put the unconscious girl on. Then the nurses began to question him. Jonny gulped as he tried to think of an explanation for the injuries on her.

"We …. we were out for a hike. I lost sight of her then heard a scream. I'm not sure what happened before I found her."

The doctor who had entered studied him intently. "We need to operate. And she's lost a lot of blood. Go get cleaned up, son. Then an orderly will show you to the waiting room."

Jonny obeyed and left to clean the blood off his chest and arms. _Maybe I should go find Jessie. But she'd probably be furious if I left Mei here alone._

In the end, the young man decided to trust in Jessie's resourcefulness. He paced in the waiting room as he waited for someone to tell him anything regarding Mei. Time trickled by as Jonny eventually sat down and flipped impatiently through magazines.

"Jonny?" Jessie's voice caught his attention.

Relieved beyond words, he looked up. "You made it."

"Yeah. No biggie. But that was quite a workout. Any word about Mei?"

"Not yet. It feels like it's been forever." He growled. "And not knowing is killing me."

At last, the doctor Jonny had spoken to before entered. "She's stable. It was touch and go for a while though. If you'd taken any longer getting here …."

"Can we see her?" Jessie asked.

The doctor hesitated before nodding. "She needs rest, so try not stay too long."

Mei looked up as they entered. "Sorry I worried you two."

"It's okay." Jonny replied. "How are you doing? Did the doctor say when you could leave?"

"... Not exactly. They want me to give a report to the police." She answered. "I can't do that, Jonny. We need to leave. Quickly."

To Jessie and Jonny's chagrin, she started taking the iv. out of her arm. Then she pulled the cords attached to her out and got to her feet. Jonny quickly locked the ICU door. Looking down at the hospital gown, Mei groaned. "This is no good. I need some clothes."

"How are we supposed to get clothes?" Jessie inquired.

Mei frowned. "This is gonna be totally humiliating. Good thing it's night time. Let's just get going. We can get clothes once we escape."

The three of them smashed open the room's only window and climbed out. Once they got to the ground, they stuck to back alleys. Sending Jessie into a store, Jonny and Mei remained hidden while she bought new clothes. She returned and tossed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to Mei.

"Thanks." The girl said as she looked around for a place to change.

Jonny turned his back and blocked the view of anyone that might pass by with Jessie beside him. "Just hurry. We don't wanna stick out too much."

She groaned as she obeyed. _This is embarrassing._ After changing, Mei walked over to them.

Jonny looked at her feet. "Will you be okay barefoot?"

Jessie took a pair of flip flops out of the shopping bag and crumpled it up. "I considered that as I shopped."

Mei took them and smiled her gratitude. "Okay, let's get back to the boat."

"Yeah, I'm sure Pasha's worried and tired of waiting. Will you be okay walking?" The young man asked Mei.

"Yeah. It hurts a little but I'm okay now that the wounds are stitched."

 **Well, that's all for chapter 6. I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far. Till next time ^ ^.**


	7. Chapter 7

****Chapter 7****

 ** **Sorry about the wait, guys. Here's the next chapter. Hope everyone enjoys.****

Pasha tisked at the three teens as they boarded. "About time. I was starting to wonder if you kids were coming back."

Jonny rubbed the back of his head. "We got a little side tracked."

The older man chuckled. "In that case, I guess it's a good thing I got some beef stew ready, then."

After everyone had eaten, Jessie went to use Pasha's laptop to check if the Questor was still in Athens. "Well?" Jonny asked as he peeked over her shoulder.

"It's still there. But that doesn't mean we'll find everyone there, Jonny. Melana and Anaya may have simply docked the Questor and abandoned it."

"I know that. But, at the moment, it's our best lead."

Jessie changed the subject. "Has Mei found out anything from the map pieces we recovered?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should go ask."

 ** **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~****

After reading over their parts of the map, Mei paced and massaged her forehead. __This makes no sense. There's no way it could be where the map seems to be leading us.__

She looked up as Jonny and Jessie entered. "Hey," Jessie greeted her, "find out anything new?"

The girl frowned. "I'm not sure. These pieces aren't much use without the rest. The one we retrieved from the labyrinth makes me think the gate to Atlantis might be on Mount Olympus."

"Mount Olympus?" Jonny asked. "That place is a tourist hot spot, isn't it? Wouldn't someone have found the entrance if it was there?"

"That was my thought. Of course, I suppose the gate could be hidden like the ones in Troy and Knossos."

Jessie yawned. "I'm gonna get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day."

Mei sank into a nearby chair. "I've translated all I can until we get the remaining ones."

"It's probably a good idea to go to bed. No good will come out of staying up all night if you've translated all you can on those."

Mei hesitated. "Ummm …. I wanted to say thank you again ….. for not leaving me behind back in Knossos."

Jonny smiled a little at her. "No problem. I wouldn't be much of a man if I'd done something so cowardly."

 ** **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~****

After waking up and getting dressed, the three teens disembarked in Athens. Following the map Jessie had printed out, they walked along the dock. The companions passed by five boats before spotting the Questor.

"Let's watch for a little bit to try and see if this is a trap." Jessie suggested.

As they sat, Jonny began asking Mei more questions. "If we're caught, will your sisters kill you?"

"Probably not right away. Depending on how the translations your father is doing are progressing. Since I know the language they might try to force me to read the map for them."

"Doesn't everyone in the temple know it?" Jessie inquired. "They could get the person working for them easier."

"No. There's only a handful of us trained to decipher the ancient text. Some are trained for the specific job they're put into. Such as the government and police positions. Others are just trained as fighters to help protect the secret, along with those of us who were chosen to learn Atlantean."

"So, how'd they decide who went where?" Jonny asked as they watched the ship for any signs of movement.

"For the most part, we each got to choose the position we wanted. Of course, there were those who excelled more in certain settings. Like I did with learning a new language. Well, it was new to me at least. It also didn't hurt that I'd had some self defense training before ….. arriving there."

Jessie turned her attention back to the Questor. "It's been almost an hour. Think it's safe?"

Mei rubbed a hand over her eyes as she considered it. "I'm still wary about it, but sitting out here isn't accomplishing anything."

While Jonny agreed, something in his gut made him nervous about all of them going. "Maybe one of us can go check it out. And I call dibs on that." He grinned at Jessie.

"I'm not sure about this." The dark haired girl stated. "This is something you were dragged into. It's really my responsibility."

"Yeah and you're still recovering. I can go in with a radio and a tracking device on me. Then, should something happen, you two can trail me."

"We'll give you twenty minutes." His girlfriend said. "Then we're coming aboard. That's my condition for agreeing to sit on the sidelines."

Sighing, the boy knew there would be no arguing. "All right. I'll radio if I find anything. And if anything suspicious happens, you two leave. With or without me." With that the blond youth made his way over to the ship and carefully boarded.

 ** **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~****

Jonny looked around as he stepped onto the deck. Everything looked normal enough. Still, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He went to the helm first. It was damaged slightly but nothing major. Then he made his way to the cabin that held the navigation equipment. It was in shambles. Someone had trashed the room. __They were probably looking for that map piece Jess found. I guess we can assume they took it.__

Taking out the radio, he reported to the two girls. "It's quiet up here. Though the navigation room's a wreck and I don't see that piece we had. Looks like they made off with it. Everything okay out there?"

Jessie replied. "Yeah, we're fine."

"All tight. I'm gonna check below deck now."

He paused at the stairs and took a deep breath before descending. Exploring the cabins, Jonny found nothing out of place. Everything appeared just as they'd left it. At the end of the hall was the galley. After checking the other rooms, the young man entered. Once he was inside the door slammed shut. Anaya stood with a zinja beside her.

Glaring at them, Jonny took on a defensive stance. "Where's my family?"

"You'll be reunited soon enough, Quest." Anaya replied as she pointed at him. "Don't kill him …. yet. Just capture him."

He jumped back from the robot's first attempt to grab him. Looking around, Jonny snatched up the only weapon he could find. Although the dishes on the counter could hardly be called weapons. __I feel like I'm in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.__ The boy couldn't help that thought as he threw the plate at his enemies. Anaya backed away, but the zinja didn't seem effected.

Instead the plates merely broke on it as it moved forward, towards its target. Pulling out the extending faucet of the sink, Jonny turned the water on and sprayed the zinja. It slowed a little and he grabbed a cast iron skillet. The boy rushed towards the robot. It grabbed his wrist before the skillet could make contact and threw him against the counter. Then faster than the young man could move it closed the distance and grabbed his throat before delivering an electric shock to him.

As Jonny cried out in pain, Anaya retrieved his radio from the floor. "We got him. Did you finish your part, Melana?"

"Yes, sister. Mei and Jessie are restrained in our helicopter. Bring Jonny out and let's head back."

Anaya nodded at the zinja who tossed Jonny's limp body over his shoulder and followed her out. They boarded the copter and she smiled at their other two "quests". "Hello, Jessie. Good to see you again, sister."

Jessie glared her contempt. "What'd you do to Jonny?" She demanded.

"He'll live." The young woman sneered as they took off. "Unless you two decide to try anything stupid."

 ** **Okay, tune in next time and see what happens. I'll try not to make you guys wait so long this time.****


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Jonny groaned as he blinked his eyes open. He frowned for a moment as he found himself handcuffed. _Oh right. I got captured._ Looking around, he spotted Jessie and Mei. "Damn. They got you guys too?"

Mei nodded. "Yeah. We were ambushed before we even knew they were there."

"You okay, hot shot?"

"Yeah. They sort of tazed me. How long have I been out?"

"It's hard to say." Jessie hedged. "We've been in this cell since we arrived."

"I'm gonna assume they took the map pieces from us."

"Yeah." Mei sighed. "I think my sisters now have all six of the map pieces now. It's the only reason I can think of for why we weren't given the locations for the rest of them."

Melana and Anaya entered. "Yes, we did have three pieces before. Now, thanks to you, we have the whole map."

Anaya smirked. "And, little sister, we're aware of the fact that you can read it. I'm sure you already know that's the only reason you were left alive this long."

Mei closed her eyes and growled. "I won't do it. You can go ahead and kill me."

Her sisters each pointed guns at Jonny and Jessie. "We won't kill you." Melana informed her. "If you don't translate the map, we'll kill them."

The girl stared at them before biting her lip and bowing her head. "All right. You win. I'll do it."

Jonny stared at her as he struggled with his handcuffs. "Mei, no! You can't help them."

"I don't have a choice." Mei looked up at him as her eyes began to fill with tears. "You two are the first friends I've ever had. I can't let them hurt you."

Their captors smiled before they pulled their sister to her feet. "Time to get to work then."

The other girl jerked away. "Before I do anything for you, release your hostages. They have nothing to do with this."

Without a word, her sisters escorted Mei out of the room. Anaya led the way down a long corridor. As she opened the door, Melana shoved Mei inside. After the door was shut and locked the sisters conversed.

"So, are we really going to meet her demands?"

Anaya chuckled. "We never said which hostages we were releasing. We'll let some of them go and keep one or two as insurance. Not only for our sister, either. Keeping Jonny and Jessie will ensure that their family doesn't report our actions to anyone."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Mei dusted herself off as she stood. Looking up she saw a puzzled looking man with red hair and dark eyes staring at her. "Oh, Dr. Quest I do apologize for startling you."

He gave her a suspicious look. "Since when did you care about that? If you're here to taunt me, please leave. I have yet to finish these translations you want."

The girl sighed. "I am sorry for my family's treatment of yours. My sisters are quite inexcusable. As is my father."

The man stared at her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mei, sir. I'm the sane sister in the Zin family." She grinned as Dr. Quest let out a small laugh.

"If you're not siding with your sisters, what are you doing here?"

Mei frowned. "My sisters captured me, Jonny and Jessie. They threatened to kill them if I don't translate the map. Please, sir, when they release you, have Jonny and Jessie lead you to the temple. That way, maybe, my sisters can be stopped."

Before the conversation could continue, Anaya led Race and Hadji inside. Mei frowned. "Where are the other two?"

Melana entered and closed the door. "If you'll think back, dear sister, we never said which hostages we'd release. Jonny and Jessie will be staying to ensure your cooperation and their discretion. If you disobey us or they report us to anyone, those two die."

Mei glared at them. "You can't do that!"

Anaya smirked at her. "You seem to have forgotten that we're in charge here. You'll do as we say or you will regret it. Dearly."

Mei looked at the three men. "I'm sorry. I really wanted to get all of you out of here."

Melana and two zinja escorted the group out. Mei glared her hatred at her remaining sister. "Instead of staring at me, you should be looking at the map. We want those translations quickly."

She sighed heavily before approaching the table. The map pieces were laid out separately. The young woman arranged the map pieces correctly then read them. "We're to go to Mount Olympus."

"Mount Olympus? I find that difficult to believe."

Mei closed her eyes. "You wanted me to read the map, yes? It starts out in Delphi and leads up to the mountain. According to the map, the way to Atlantis is supposed to be there."

Anaya left the room to discuss the results with Melana. "She says the map leads to Mount Olympus. Do you think she's lying?"

"I doubt it. She won't endanger the other two. However, I do think we should take all three of them with us. To punish our sweet sister in the event that she is lying."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

"So, you got any ideas, Benton?" Race inquired as they boarded the Questor.

Dr. Quest sighed. "Well, that girl mentioned a temple. However, without Jonny or Jessie I'm not sure we'll be able to find it. Of course, we also have the bug I stuck onto the bottom of the desk in that lab of theirs."

"I think I can help in finding the temple." Pasha announced as he came out from a cabin.

"Pasha?!" Hadji's jaw dropped. "What are you doing here, of all places?"

"Jonny called me. He said you were in trouble. They didn't return from checking out the area so I walked around until I spotted the Questor. Of course, it appears I missed whatever fight took place down in the galley."

Race thought about it. "Hadji, you think you can convince the temple folks that you're a friend there to warn them?"

"I should be able to at least make my way inside to deliver a message." The young man replied.

"In that case, we'll let you and Pasha handle that. Benton and I will listen to what his bug may have recorded."

Pasha went to the helm. "I'll have us there in no time."

 **Tune in to chapter 9 please. Hope everyone enjoyed :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

As Dr. Quest and Race boarded the Questor, they rushed to the ship's navigation room, where the computer that linked easily to the Quest Compound's main computer was. Holding his breath, Dr. Quest started the computer up. He sighed in relief as it booted up.

Race watched anxiously as his friend listened to the recordings from the bug. Dr. Quest looked up with a bewildered expression. "What is it, Benton?"

"Mei said the map leads to Mount Olympus."

Race crossed his arms. "How can that be? I thought Atlantis was supposed to have sank into the ocean. Could she be lying to them?"

"Since they're holding Jonny and Jessie too, I doubt it. She seemed to be a very compassionate person. I don't think she'd endanger anyone else willingly."

"So, is there any way at all we can help them?"

The doctor ran his hand through his hair. "While I want to rush to Mount Olympus right away, I think we should wait and see how Hadji does at the temple."

"Think they'll be willing to trust us? I mean these people are obviously very secretive." Race pointed out.

"Given the situation, they really don't have a choice in this. Melana and Anaya must be stopped. That will take priority right now."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Jonny and Jessie sat in the back seat of a black car with Melana and a zinja seated between them as Mei drove with Anaya next to her. "You'd better not have been lying, little sister."

"I don't see how I could afford to with your cruel tactics."

As the group reached their destination, Jonny's eyes widened. "The map's changing."

Melana and Jessie looked over at the map he was holding. The pictures and writing swirled. "It is." The Zin sister gasped.

Once the group had parked and exited their car, Mei looked at the map Jonny held. _It's directing us after we reach the top of the mountain …._

Anaya watched them carefully before speaking. "So, where do we go next?"

"The map says to climb the mountain. Then it gives directions for once you reach the top." Mei glanced at Jonny and Jessie. "The climb will be long enough without too many people. Why not release those two?"

Melana sneered at her. "Because they ensure that you behave yourself, little sister. Now, move it. We have a long climb ahead of us."

After hours of climbing, they stopped for the day. Jonny, Jessie and Mei each ate two sandwiches and drank some water before being tied together for the night. Even after Melana and Anaya went to sleep, their zinja watched the captives. Mei sighed as she wracked her brain. _At this rate they probably will kill all three of us. I need to help Jonny and Jessie escape._

Jessie looked over at her and whispered. "Any ideas for an escape?"

"All I can think of is to keep an eye out for any opportunity to give you two time to get away. Just promise me you guys will take the chance and not try to save me."

Both teens stared at her. "You can't expect us to just leave you here."

"I've thought this through, Jonny. There's no other way. I'm still injured. Also, instead of chasing the two of you, my sisters will most likely continue on to their goal. If I try to escape, they'll pursue us without a doubt."

Jessie shook her head. "There's got to be another way. Those two will just kill you after they get what they want."

"I know that, Jessie. And I am grateful that you both wanna help me. But, this situation is beyond our control. And once the two of you are free there'll be no way for them to force me to translate the rest of the map."

"It doesn't matter anyway." Jonny said. "We're not leaving you with them. There's gotta be another way."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

As they reached the top of Mount Olympus the next afternoon, three of them were hoping for someone to be awaiting them to capture their captors. Mei frowned as they found no one there. _There must be some way to stop this. I can't let them get to Atlantis._

Mei led the group to a certain spot and knelt down after checking the map. "It should be here."

As she found an emblem with an Atlantean symbol hidden in the grass, Mei took a deep breath and looked at the map again. The writing on the map swirled and changed before the map began to glow. The girl read the map's instructions and placed the map below the emblem before she rotated the thing towards the setting sun and pressing it into the earth. To the surprise of the entire group there was a blinding flash of light.

"Mei? Mei, are you all right?" Jessie's concerned voice slowly found Mei's ears.

The girl groaned as she sat up. "What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I haven't been awake long."

As she looked around, Mei's eyes widened. "Wh, where are we?"

The landscape around them was completely different. Tall trees surrounded them and a waterfall emptied into a nearby pond. It was as beautiful as it was confusing. The girls stood for a moment, looking about in silent awe until something flew over their heads and cast an enormous shadow over them.

Looking up, Jessie fell back in shock. "Mei, th, that was a griffon!"

Mei tensed as she glanced around nervously. _This is bad. A griffon? It couldn't be real …. could it? And where's Jonny? And what about Anaya and Melana?_ "Jessie, stay down here. I'm gonna climb up the side of the waterfall and see if I can see a city or anything."

"Is that a good idea. You're still healing." The other girl pointed out.

"I'll be careful." Mei replied as she began the climb.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **I'd like to start off by apologizing for the long absence. Suffice it to say, I let some personal issues affect me in the worst way. I'm still struggling to overcome these issues, but I am improving. To those who continue reading, I know I'm lucky to still have you, thanks.**

Mei reached the top of the cliff and sat for a moment, panting breathlessly. Upon catching her breath, the girl stood and took in the view of the land around them. Immense, lush forest spread out as far as the eye could see. Pushing her hair back from her face, she look to the North of them. _It's beautiful. But I don't see anything that looks even remotely like a city._

Before the young woman could react, a griffon snatched her off the cliff and flew quickly towards the ground. Gasping, Mei squirmed and tried to wrench herself free, only to have the creature dig its talons in more. She stiffened as the claws dug into her skin enough to draw a little blood.

Mei braced herself for the worst as the beast sat her down, however, it simply flew off after dropping her next to Jessie. Glancing at her companion, Mei noticed the red head had her hands up. Looking in front of her, the girl saw five enormous centaurs aiming spears at them.

Raising her hands, she spoke in Atlantean to them. "Please, we mean no harm. My friend and I are here solely to warn the Atlanteans of imminent danger."

The one who was apparently in command of this group of centaurs replied. "What sort of danger, girl?"

"I failed in my mission to protect the map pieces, and some humans from outside the barrier have come to try and invade and steal from Atlantis."

The group eyed them for a long moment. "You do speak our language. Unlike the boy we captured. Is he one of these invaders?"

Mei looked at Jessie and said in English, "I think they found Jonny." Then, turning back to the group before them responded. "If he's blond, no. He's a friend who tried to help me protect the secret."

Nodding to his companions, the leader announced. "We'll take them to the city. The king and queen shall decide how valid this threat is."

The girls were escorted back to a campsite where two more centaurs stood, guarding a blond youth. Glancing over, Jonny's face lit up with a combination of joy and relief. "Jessie, Mei. It is you, right Mei?"

"Yeah. I told them that we mean no harm. They plan to take us to Atlantis now. Are you okay, Jonny? Did anyone land with you?"

The young man remained seated as her replied, "Nope. I woke up all alone. Until my, umm, new friends stumbled across me. They didn't hurt me, but it was kinda close where they couldn't understand me."

Mei laughed as she and Jessie sat next to him. "I imagine so. If we're lucky, my sisters have been caught, too."

The young man tsked. "Don't count on it. I doubt we'd get that lucky."

Jessie nodded. "All we can do is warn the people here and hope they believe us."

The other girl sighed. "They should. It seems the inhabitants here know that time outside the barrier has passed and that there are few left on the outside that speak their language."

"So," Jonny hedged, "are you gonna tell them that Melana and Anaya are your sisters?"

"I am. Keeping it secret would only hurt our cause if it's discovered later. We need them to trust us. And, I'm fully prepared to take responsibility for my failure and any trouble those two cause. I allowed them to get here, after all."

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

Anaya and Melana cursed as they stumbled through the dense forest around them. "I can't believe how rough that landing was."

Looking at her sister, Melana scowled. "I'm more concerned with the fact that the zinja was trashed by some mythological beast we barely managed to evade and we've no hostages."

"Yes, that is very problematic. And we need to get to Atlantis before that traitorous sister of ours tells the people here about us."

"We should've just killed her after she showed us where the entrance was."

"I have a feeling you'll get your chance before all's said and done, sister. Be patient."

Upon hearing a rustling ahead of them, the girls became silent and crept forward to investigate. Peeking through the trees, they found a lake with two human teens dressed in clothing reminiscent of the ancient Greeks. The sisters smiled at one another before pouncing on their targets.

 **~~~~~~~~~~JQ~~~~~~~~~~**

The group of centaurs herded the three teens into a vast city the likes of which they had never seen. Jonny, Jessie and Mei couldn't help staring in awe as they were lead up a ramp to where a floating platform waited. The humans hesitated upon reaching it.

"Is this safe?" Jessie inquired nervously.

The group leader spoke again and Mei translated. "He says to stand in the center of the disc. It'll take us to the palace where some guards will meet us."

The companions obeyed and boarded the platform. Once they were at the middle of it, the thing took off, zipping through the air. When it finally stopped, all three were crouching low on the disc. Two men were staring at them as they slowly rose to their feet.

One of them spoke when the group was standing. "I am Castor and he is Trollious. We are here to escort you to the throne room."

"My friends do not speak your language, so pardon them, please. We, won't resist you, so lead the way, if you will."

The other guard spoke then. "We must ensure that you are unarmed first."

Mei looked at Jessie and Jonny. "They have to check us for weapons, you two. Then we'll be taken to the throne room." She nodded at the guards. "They understand."

After being searched, the two guards led them to a gleaming, gold and ivory room that had tapestries and statuary adorning it. In the center of the room, sat two thrones. A muscular man with shoulder length, golden hair and intelligent green eyes stared at them.

Castor bowed deeply and the three youths decided kneeling was a safe option. "Sire, these are the strangers Ajax and his squad discovered."

"I am King Ulysses and beside me is my Queen, Theia. Who are you three? And how is it you are in our domain?"

Mei raised her head and spoke politely. "Sire, we come from the other side of the barrier to warn you. If you would, I implore you to hear our story."

The queen gave them a gentle smile. "We will here you, child. But, good manners dictate that you introduce yourselves first."

"I'm Mei. My companions, Jessie and Jonny, don't speak Atlantean. Please excuse the inconvenience as well as my rudeness."

Ulysses nodded. "I see. Then tell us what you need to, Mei."

"As I'm sure you already guessed, I'm from the temple charged with protecting Atlantis on the other side. I failed to stop some thieves from getting here. The thieves in question are my sisters and they are quite dangerous, Your Majesty. Please, prepare yourself for an attack. Warn your citizens to be careful."

 **I'** **ll do my best not to leave you all hanging this time. Until next chapter, please let me know what you guys thought.**


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